


To Hell and Back and then Hell Again

by sebviathan



Category: Being Human, Being Human (US/Canada), Supernatural
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Happy Ending, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Temporary Character Death, benny actually acts that way to everyone, bishop is always lonely, death isn't always sad, purgatory changes you, slightly less of a crossover than you'd think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-31
Updated: 2013-05-31
Packaged: 2017-12-13 12:22:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/824269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebviathan/pseuds/sebviathan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Bishop dies, like all other monsters, he goes to Purgatory. And like (nearly) all other monsters, he hates it. Mainly because Aidan isn't there. So the logical solution? Search for a way out, of course.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Hell and Back and then Hell Again

Dying is like being thrust through a door into the next world and landing none too gracefully.

For a vampire, at least. Bishop knows that humans are always ghosts first and not only do they have to wait for their door, but they have a choice whether or not to even go through it. He has no idea about werewolves, though.

If he was given the choice to move on (or stop existing, whatever it was in the next world) or remain on a plane between existing and not existing, he isn't sure what he would have chosen, anyway. There was no way to tell what was waiting for him beyond that doorway and what would have been in store for him as a vampire on the plane of human ghosts.

When Bishop lands in the next world, the wind is knocked out of him enough that it takes a second or so for him to realize that he's in a forest. It's somehow emaciated and beautiful at the same time. Looking around, he sees that there's little chance of any animals living here, but there are noises in the distance that tells him there's  _something_  here.

_I was expecting Hell,_  he thinks, and he supposes that he's grateful that Hell isn't what he got.  _If Hell isn't what's in store for vampires, though, then what is?_

It can't possibly be Heaven. Bishop rules that out immediately because he knows no vampires, least of all him, could possibly deserve that. Even if he does somehow deserve Heaven, there's simply no way it would look like this. Even his personal Heaven would be nothing like this.

_So where am I, then?_

It's a question Bishop continues to ask no one in particular until he finally has someone in particular to ask. What feels like a week (he can't really be sure, can he?) of wandering and getting steadily filthier pass before someone else crosses his path. And that person incidentally happens to be a werewolf, as he can automatically tell by the smell, who attacks him.

His fighting skills and strength have luckily traveled with him to this place, so Bishop finds it no problem at all to flip the werewolf harshly onto his back and hold him to the ground. He's about to snap the man's neck until he realizes the use he can make out of him first **—**

"Tell me what this place is and I'll let you go," he growls, the werewolf's hands clawing at his.

The face of the man below him breaks into a grin, and his laugh is as thick as his accent: "You mean you don't know? I knew about this place long before I died!" Bishop's glare deepens and his hands tighten, causing the werewolf to choke. " _Ow_ **—** fine. You're in Purgatory, mate. Us monsters, we don't get no judgement. Just here, forever, killin' each other. Don't need to eat, neither."

That's a good enough explanation for Bishop, who proceeds to snap the werewolf's neck anyway, and harder than necessary. From his angle, the spinal cord looks entirely separated. When he stands up and brushes himself off, however, he sees the werewolf's neck straightening itself out, head turning back into place and the body beginning to shift and grow fur and transform.

_Oh shit._  He forgot that wolves put themselves back together unless there's an actual silver bullet in their heart. Within seconds, there's a rabid wolf pounding its way towards him **—** it's lucky being a vampire allows him to run several hundred feet away before he can be in any danger.

It seems they truly are here just to kill each other.

* * *

Sometimes Bishop wonders what happens when you die in Purgatory **—** if you reappear somewhere to start over or just disappear entirely. He has no intention of trying to find out, though. For the past year, he has killed anything and everything he has come across (save a few ones who got away) and ensured that he remains alive in the best sense of the word that he can in here. He has survived thus far.

Purgatory is full of monsters Bishop has never even seen or heard of. Some, he never knew were real. Shapeshifters of all sorts, dragons, obscure creatures from myths and legends all over the world... The worst by far are the Leviathan. The first time he met one, he couldn't for the life (or death) of him smell any difference between it and a normal human. He can honestly say that  _those_  things are monsters, in every sense of the word. And they're possibly the hardest thing to kill. They shouldn't even exist.

In a way (in most ways, actually), Purgatory is pretty much Hell. There's no time that Bishop doesn't need to be wary, and it's constantly a struggle to survive. He picks up a few tricks here and there as far as making weapons and hiding goes, but everything's after you, here. There are no humans to drink from, but like the werewolf said, he doesn't need sustenance here. He doesn't feel any hunger or any weakness from not having eaten in so long.

He learns, at some point, that there are, in fact, two sources of food in Purgatory, and one of them is fish. He doesn't have any clue why, though **—** there's no reason for it. There's no one to eat the fish **—** no one who  _needs_  to, anyway, and surely there must be something for the fish to eat, by extent?

The second one is berries. No other edible plants (perhaps the bark from the trees, but that doesn't count) can be found anywhere. Just indiscernible berries that may or may not be poisonous. While Bishop wander and finds the bushes, he decides that these must be put here for  _somebody_ , but gives up wondering exactly who.

Rather than a sort of afterlife, Purgatory is really another world all on its own. It doesn't feel like a place one would  _really_  live eternity in; it's just a forest of surreal properties full of monsters. Clearly, most die here.

It takes a year for Bishop to realize exactly what Purgatory  _is_.

Purgatory is lonely.

It would seem so for everyone else in there as well, but Bishop can personally just call the place "loneliness." Everyone who might support him or ever  _has_  is on an entirely different plane of existence, and that concept alone makes him feel hollow. At times he feels perfectly fine with that knowledge, but other times it makes him want to tear himself apart **—** until he remembers that he really does  _not_  want to stop existing.

_Aidan_  is on an entirely different plane of existence. And Bishop feels the loss on a higher level than his overall loneliness because it seems to be physically wired in him to feel that way when he's without his soulmate. Granted, he did make the choice to be separated from Aidan like this. But when he decided to have Aidan kill him, he was doing it because he believed it was the only thing keeping him from being trapped in a coffin underground for a hundred years as punishment or being killed more painfully **—** he thought that he was getting  _rid_  of all loneliness in death and taking one last stand to make sure Aidan was loyal to him while he lived. He thought that, at least, the loneliness without Aidan would be drowned out by the screams and pain of Hell.

Minus the screams and fire, Purgatory  _is_  Hell.

Bishop supposes that he's so determined to stay alive because of the small chance that he might be able to escape and return to Aidan one day. He doesn't care if he still has to give up on everything he was building if he goes back, or if it's more dangerous for him because of the Dutch, or even if he's alienated entirely **—** anything is better than this place. Even Actual Hell would be preferable.

If he had any belief that they could still be alive, Bishop might have tried to look for other vampires who died around the same time he did **—** or possibly later. Not at all to make a friend, but to try and find someone to trust him so he can use them somehow to get out. Or find out what's been happening since he died. But of course, he doesn't believe in any of his orphans quite that much. They've certainly died already.

* * *

Soon, Bishop catches word of a human in Purgatory. He doesn't know exactly what that means for him, but he suspects a way out might have something to do with it. No one has any idea how a human could possibly have gotten in. There's word of an angel here, too, but Bishop isn't sure if he believes it.

Then again, the existence of Purgatory pretty much proves that of Heaven and Hell, which also heavily implies the existence of a God. And if God exists, then angels must, as well.  _What kind of God would allow this place to exist?_  Bishop thinks spitefully to himself. It's not fair in the least bit. He had no choice to become a vampire. And even though he did murder countless people, he did that in order to live. And doing what you need to do is a crime enough in God's eyes to deserve  _this_?

Bishop hates God.

Barely any time passes and there's word of the human having left Purgatory and the angel still being here. He isn't sure if he cares enough to believe it.

* * *

Bishop is miserable, but not at all ready to give up. He guesses that he's one of the longest-lasting monsters in this place. At this point, others have  _heard_  of him. Word of him has gotten around by those he's failed to kill and instead allowed to escape.

"Why do you try so hard?" is a question he's been asked by several of the other monsters he's killed, and he always gives the same, simple answer before killing them.

"Someone's waiting for me."

Sometimes Bishop finds himself nearly outmatched **—** usually it's an ambush, though once or twice a single man or woman almost gets him to his knees. But he always gets out somehow.

One day, it's a dragon who gets him from behind only for Bishop to turn around at the last second. Dragons are one of the trickiest sons-of-bitches here, as they can burn you with just a touch as well as  _fly_. His forearms and half of his face get scalded during the fight, and near the end he fearfully believes, for a moment, that he might actually lose this one.

The only reason he doesn't is because someone else stabs the dragon from the back while he's fighting it.

"Thought you could use some help," says the stranger in a slow, southern drawl as the dragon falls to the ground limp. He smiles and Bishop stares at him, breathing hard even though he doesn't need to breathe.

"Why did you help me?" he can't help but ask. Not that he's not grateful **—** but it's usually difficult to trust those who help without an apparent reason.

"I'd rather see a dragon dead than a fellow vampire." He chuckles, and it's strangely charming **—** not in an  _Aidan_  way, but in a southern hospitality way. Like he can be trusted. "And if you are who I think you are, then I can help you more than that."

Considering his reputation, it isn't hard to believe this vampire knows who he is. Bishop still frowns and says, skeptical and hopeful, "And how's that?"

Smiling again, the other vampire takes an unintimidating step forward and tells him, "I know you want a way out of here, and for good reason. I've escaped for the same reason. And I think I might be able to get you out."

"What's in it for you?" Bishop smirks wryly. There's always a catch, from his own experience.

The man shrugs. "Knowing I managed to get someone who deserves it out of this place. Trust me, I don't want anything from you. I had a chance to get back out and didn't take it because I thought this was where I belonged **—** but it's not where you belong, brother."

Somehow, he's so easy to trust. There's just something about that voice. And his eyes speak the truth.

Bishop sticks out his empty hand and quirks a smile. "I'll take your help **—** I'd do just about anything to get out of here. But first I'd like to know your name, stranger."

The stranger smiles warmly and shakes his hand. "Benny."

"Bishop," he replies, and it's the first time in a long time that he hasn't felt completely alone.

* * *

For a couple weeks, Benny leads him to what he says is the way out for him. On the way, he tells Bishop stories of how he was turned, what he did with his life as a vampire, how he died, and how he survived in Purgatory afterward. He tells him about how he helped the human and the angel get out, but how the angel stayed because he felt he deserved Purgatory for doing what he'd done **—** releasing the Leviathan. Most of all, he tells him about Dean Winchester, dubbed  _The Righteous Man_ , and everything Dean had told him. He's apparently literally the most important human in existence.

"If the portal you helped him through was only for humans, then how do you expect to get me through it?" Bishop thinks to ask at some point, beginning to feel skeptical again.

"I don't," says Benny simply, brow furrowed slightly and involuntarily in determination. "That's not the way you're getting out. You know the rogue reaper who brought Sam and Dean down to find the door the Hell? Well, I've heard of more hanging around since then. They make deals for those they think deserve it."

"And you know exactly where they are?"

"I know a relatively specific area. Don't worry, brother, I'll get you there and wait it out with you until you find one."

He claps Bishop on the shoulder and smiles a little, which makes him almost sorry to leave this guy behind.

In return for his stories, Bishop tells Benny his own. For some reason, he doesn't hesitate to talk about the Salem Witch Trials or Aidan and all his struggles with keeping him around. Benny seems to admire and respect him a great deal for how much he's experienced. The way he describes things, though, is certainly putting forth the story entirely from his own perspective and highlights all that he's suffered and not so much of all the pure psychopathy he's exhibited at times. He doesn't do that on purpose **—** merely out of neglect to realize there was ever anything wrong about anything he did.

He tells him exactly how he died and how he  _planned_ to die but had no idea what was waiting for him.

"Do you think he'll be happy to see you once you get back?" Benny asks quietly, his brow furrowed in slight worry.

"Probably not," Bishop admits bluntly. "Not at first, I'm not guessing. Hell, I made him angry enough to kill me **—** he probably still holds a grudge. But having him hate me is better than him trying to forget me."

"But of course you don't really think he hates you... not completely, anyway. I'm sure he'll be strangely relieved. You said you're soulmates, didn't you?"

Benny smiles encouragingly at him, and Bishop closes his eyes and nods his head down to hide his own smirk. "Yes, we are. And he knows it, too. I know he'll have to come around."

"Good," Benny says shortly, giving him a hearty pat on the back. "Don't want you getting second thoughts after we've come all this way."

Bishop laughs, and for the first time in a long time, there's actually some mirth in it. "Don't worry, I'm leaving this shithole whether I think Aidan will accept me or not."

* * *

They finally find a rogue reaper only two days after they reach the place Benny meant to lead them to. He's easily recognizable by the suit and the stoic air given off by his presence **—** like he doesn't quite  _belong_  here.

"I hear you make deals to take monsters back to the land of the living," Benny drawls as they approach the reaper from behind, who immediately turns around and greets them with a businesslike smile.

"Good monsters, yes," the reaper agrees, looking between the both of them. "So. Tell me what's so important that you need to be human again, and I'll judge if they're valid reasons."

Benny immediately steps back and puts a hand on Bishop's shoulder. "It's just him. I'm just his company and escort."

"My soulmate is still alive," he tells the reaper at once, and his voice and expression are set and determined. He means business. "I've been with him for over two-hundred years and I can't go on here. The only closure I had was him killing me. I simply  _can't_  be where he can't follow."

"He will follow at some point, though," the reaper qualifies **—** but then brings it back **—** "Not for a long time, though. I can tell." Then, rather than saying anything else, the reaper frowns and walks around Bishop, looking closely at him as though examining him, at last placing a hand on his head and then stepping back, looking remarkably and pleasantly surprised. "You do, indeed, have only half a soul."

Now, both vampires frown, but Benny merely continues to watch as Bishop opens his mouth: "What **—**?"

"The term 'soulmates' is thrown around quite a bit, particularly by humans," the reaper starts to explain. "But in the case of  _true_  soulmates, both parties literally have half of a soul **—** which is perfectly functional on its own, but it constantly yearns for the other half, and the farther it gets from that other half, the less it can function. Meaning you and the man who has the other half aren't supposed to be apart, which also probably means that you meeting me was fate or something **—** it's cheesy, but true. Point is, you've pretty much got a free ride upstairs **—** or down the hall, technically, since we're horizontally on the same plane **—** because it's actually  _not_  illegal for me to take you back. I'll actually be restoring order for once," he finishes proudly.

Bishop is hit hard with the relief that he can go back so easily now, and somehow also with the realization that he's always been  _right_  about him and Aidan. Hard enough that he wants to smile but feels that his face won't let him or that he's forgotten how.

"Looks like you're going home to him, brother," Benny says in congratulations, making to hug him. The smile breaks through and Bishop returns the hug, which lasts for a few seconds.

"Well, there is one complication you may or may not mind," the reaper adds, stepping in. At this point, though, Bishop is going to take whatever he can get, so he's not disheartened yet. "When you go back, you won't be solid. See, I can take your soul, and normally I would put it into a body, but you don't have a body anymore. If all your ashes were in one place, it might be possible, but almost all of them are scattered but for a small amount that I can sense is nearby the other half of your soul. The most you can be is a ghost, but you'll remain by your soulmate's side until he dies and return to Purgatory together."

Strangely enough, Bishop doesn't find much of a problem with that. It would be nice to be able to touch Aidan when he goes back, but this is just as good. He can still remain by his side. If it's the best that can be done, he'll take it.

"That's okay," he agrees, nodding swiftly and looking briefly to Benny, whose expression seems to be telling him to go on. "But before you take me, I need to know **—** what's the point of Purgatory? How can it possibly be fair for monsters who have  _no choice_  in being what they are being put  _here_  instead of Heaven or Hell?"

The reaper steps back and smirks knowingly **—** you know, that  _I'm technically a celestial being and you're not_  smirk.

"It's  _entirely_  fair," he tells him, his condescension sounding deliberate. "This place isn't a punishment for you **—** it's a  _second chance_. If monsters were judged based on their lives on earth, nearly all of them would go to Hell because the morals of monsters on earth are always extremely blurred. It's difficult to tell if you did things out of enjoyment or need, and  _then_  there's no way to tell if you enjoyed it because of your monster nature or your personal nature. So in Purgatory, you no longer have a need for sustenance, meaning that now monsters have a chance to be judged from the life they lead when there is no  _necessity_  to be a monster. When you die in Purgatory, judgement is finally made on you. Contrary to popular belief, Heaven is the more common destination from here."

_Oh._ Bishop can't help but feel stupid for worrying about this for all that time. But he's also glad because now he knows what lies in store after he and Aidan finally come back here.

"You ready, then?" the reaper presses, halfway in-between businesslike and genuine friendliness.

When Bishop nods, the reaper grabs his forearm, and he can feel himself briefly stop existing before waking up, new, in the next realm over.

* * *

Even though he technically can't breathe or feel it, the air of this world is amazingly refreshing after nearly four years in Purgatory. It's such a relief to see colors on this spectrum again, to be where everything is  _alive_  and not constantly out to kill each other. Well, not entirely, at least.

It takes Bishop a moment to realize he must be in Aidan's house because he doesn't recognize anything in it. He assumes that his soul was attracted either to where the other half was, or to where his ashes were. Both would have led him here anyway.

Judging by the light filtering in through the window, it's morning. Not too early, but not so late that everyone is awake. He assumes Aidan is asleep in his bedroom, wherever that is, and that werewolf, Josh, as well. While he might have done so in his life, he doesn't want to go purposely wake anyone up, so he spends the time walking around and examining the house.

He finds himself sitting in the living room couch when he hears movement coming from the basement door, and at that, his nonexistent muscles seize up. Aidan's just going to find him sitting at the table after he's been dead for so long, and Bishop is going to see  _him_  after so long. And all he can do is just sit there and wait.

When Aidan enters the room, he immediately catches eyes with the ghost sitting on his couch. Bishop stares, unable to stop because he hasn't seen him in so long, and  _Dear God_  this is the first time in four years that he's felt this  _whole_ , and man, he's completely caught off guard by how beautiful Aidan is. He can't say anything, so he waits for the other man to do so.

But after a moment or so's glance in his direction, Aidan continues walking as though he saw nothing strange at all and sits himself down on the opposite side of the couch to turn on the news. Immensely confused, Bishop continues staring in both worry and admiration, and it gets more intense by the second.

Just when he wonders whether or not Aidan can even see him or not, the other vampire turns to him and says, sounding annoyed, "Have you given up on trying to torment me or is just staring at me your new method?"

Bishop holds his knees tighter to his chest and frowns at him. "What?"

But then it occurs to him that Aidan must already see him, though in a different way. Hallucinations. Clearly confused at the strange behavior of his non-hallucination, Aidan looks at him scrutinizingly. After several seconds, though, he just looks away again, as though to pretend he's not there.

"Aidan," Bishop says, and he's not really that loud, but it startles the other vampire enough to make him snap his head over. "You're not hallucinating me. I'm real this time."

"No, you're not," he argues, looking away again. "You're dead. It's over. Would you quit acting like you still exist?"

"Yes, I'm dead," he confirms, moving closer to him on the couch until he's on the spot directly next to him. "I'm a ghost."

"Vampires don't get ghosts," Aidan says immediately, as though he's gone over this in his own head quite a bit.

"I'm a special case.  _We're_  a special case, Aidan. I spent four years dead, in Purgatory, and made a deal to come back, and now I'm here, and I'll be here until you die. Soulmates aren't supposed to be apart for that long **—** I've  _told_  you this." His voice is slightly angry now, he can't help it. He just wants to make Aidan  _see_  and accept it.

He tries to brush his fingers across Aidan's cheek, but they just go right through. And it's that little detail that seems to have Aidan shocked.

"Normally I feel it when you do that," he mutters, suddenly looking like the saddest and most confused man on earth. "But the hallucinations could easily have changed, and this is all in my head. This can't be outside my head."

He turns away again, and Bishop becomes even more frustrated. Aidan's always been a stubborn one, but it's never any less infuriating.

Rather than trying to convince him further with words, Bishop transports himself upstairs and walks through doors until he finds the werewolf's room, in which he is awake.

Josh (Bishop's pretty sure that's his name?) catches sight of him and screams at once, and that's all Bishop needs. When he goes back downstairs, Aidan is standing up and looking worriedly between him and the stairs, and in the next few seconds, the werewolf is running down the stairs.

"I just **—** Bishop **—** why is he  _here_?" Josh yells, pointing frantically to Bishop and looking a strong mix of frightened and confused as he stares wide-eyed at Aidan. "Or **—** _shit_ **—** am I hallucinating him?"

Aidan's horrified expression tells his friend that he most certainly is not hallucinating. Neither of them are, and Bishop just managed to prove it. He stands calmly in place and folds his arms and stares at Aidan, waiting.

"He's...," Aidan starts, looking at Josh, but he then turns to Bishop. "You're a ghost, then." He nods and there's a long pause and mutual staring. "...Why?"

"I told you, soulmates can't be far apart for too long. No other vampires would have been given this choice."

At that, Josh looks wholly confused, and Bishop's kind of enjoying it.

"But why after so long?" Aidan sounds sad and like he's missed him, for which Bishop is glad. He steps closer.

"Finding a way out of Purgatory wasn't easy. I'll tell you all about it if you want."

"Okay **—** you keep saying that. Purgatory. Isn't that like Limbo?"

Bishop laughs, and it feels more like one of his old laughs from when he was a vampire than ever. "Not at all **—** Purgatory is where monsters go after they die, as a second chance to be judged in a place where we aren't blinded by a need for sustenance... Except practically no one actually knows that, and so everyone down there is killing each other anyway."

"Then how did you get out?" This time it's Josh who asks. That's slightly amusing to him.

"I found a rogue reaper and made a deal. According to him, putting me back here was restoring the natural order **—** I have half a soul, and Aidan has the other half, so us being on entirely different planes of existence can't work. I have to be here."

"So..." Josh raises his eyebrows in somewhat worry (or sympathy?) and looks to Aidan. "So you're literally soulmates?"

"I guess so," Aidan says quietly, still looking at Bishop.

There's several more moments of silence. Bishop tries to see what he can find in Aidan's expression, and while there's always the possibility that he's fooling himself, he finds regret and longing in his eyes and the way he's holding himself.

After a minute or so, Aidan shifts his stance and looks down, then begins walking towards the door. Bishop and Josh share a short, mutual look before trying to follow him, at which he says "Just leave me alone for a while, okay?" and shutting the door.

Left alone with the werewolf is the last thing he wants to be, but Bishop doesn't dissipate himself quick enough before Josh can say something to him:

"And all this time I just thought you were some controlling psychopath... Aidan was always trying to be free from you, you know." Bishop just looks at him and blinks as response, and he continues. "But looking back on it, it always seemed like he never really tried hard enough. Don't get me wrong, I still think you're a psychopath. Or at least you used to be or something. And I don't doubt for a second that whatever obsession you had with him was completely unhealthy. But if you share a soul, then I guess you're meant to be here, so I'll leave you alone. Just know, though **—** if you start tormenting him, or you starting screwing up the whole house, I  _will_  exorcise you."

Surprisingly, Bishop doesn't feel a biting remark on the tip of his tongue. He doesn't think exorcising him would even be possible, considering that he isn't a normal ghost, but he doesn't really feel the need to say it. Instead, he nods in agreement and returns his gaze to the door.

"I'll leave you alone for the most part, too," he tells him. "I have no business here but being by Aidan's side."

He dissipates and isn't quite sure where he goes for the time being.

* * *

"I'm sorry."

It's the first thing Aidan says to him when he returns from wherever he went earlier. Josh is at the hospital and the house is empty but for them, and it feels oddly peaceful.

Bishop turns his head and looks at him across the couch, waiting for an explanation **—** though he's pretty sure he already knows what Aidan means.

"For killing you," he adds, looking over and holding Bishop's gaze. His voice is quiet and sombre, like one would speak at a funeral. "I could have fixed it a different way. I wanted to be free, but freedom was never really the best thing. And I saw you afterwards at every turn, anyway, so it was like you were still there."

Slowly, Bishop's eyes widen apologetically, and he tells him at once, "I  _chose_  to die, Aidan. I wanted you to kill me. Don't be sorry."

From there, he begins to explain. Aidan sits and listens quietly as he hears about Bishop's thought process and decisions from before he killed him, and about all that happened in Purgatory. There's so much to tell that Bishop can't even explain all of it at once **—** he continues to tell him about it over time. Small stories of individual monsters he killed. Details about what Purgatory was like and how lonely it felt. Aidan listens to him more and more attentively as time goes on, and he really seems to have accepted Bishop back into his life.

He most certainly isn't the old Bishop. The lack of hunger makes him more human and even less of a monster than he was in Purgatory. He can't do anything more than walk around and remember all the mistakes he ever made and talk to Aidan and watch what he does.

Everyone gradually accepts him as a new member of the household. Even Nora and Sally don't mind him after a while, and though Bishop wouldn't necessarily call them his friends, he gets along with them. It'll take him a lot to get him to like Josh, though.

Aidan seems to want to ignore him at first. He almost never initiates a conversation for the first month, and he seems to get annoyed when Bishop talks to him anywhere but the living room or kitchen. Bedroom and hospital are off-limits, especially. But Bishop still follows him there, and at some point, he breaks the boundary and Aidan just doesn't care anymore.

Still, though, Aidan gets the occasional girlfriend or date. Bishop doesn't even try to hide his jealousy, but he doesn't pull Aidan away from them. But once or twice he can't resist the urge to possess the girls that he sleeps with in order to be able to experience that with Aidan.

And after a time, the relationships just come to a stop. Aidan spends more time with Bishop than anyone else and no one else points it out, but it's obvious they all realize what's going on.

Sometimes Bishop sits with Aidan at the couch or the table and tries to touch him, to put his hand over the other man's or caress his face, and each time, as well as the both of them hide it, they're greatly disappointed that it doesn't work.

A year passes, though, and one day he tries to fix a stray strand of Aidan's hair and actually manages to move it.

Aidan's hand flies to his head to make sure he just felt what he thought he felt, and then to Bishop to see if he can feel  _him_ **—** but he can't. They both stare at each other in shock for what feels like a full minute before Bishop tries to touch his hand, and Aidan swears that he feels _something_  before his hand goes through.

"I think I'm becoming solid," Bishop whispers, and the amount of hope in his voice is enough to supply a country of impoverished citizens. "I mean **—** I can feel it in my heart, too."

Neither of them bother asking  _how_  or trying to find out. It's easy to assume it just has something to do with the fact that they're soulmates and wait for it to progress.

After another five months, Bishop can touch him with one hand for several minutes at a time. Another year and it actually becomes difficult for him to walk through things. Soon after, it's impossible for him to dissipate.

The solidity comes exponentially slower toward the end, but Aidan knows the instant that Bishop is completely solid **—**

"I can smell your blood," he tells him one morning, immediately realizing what that means. As though afraid to be wrong, he hesitates to walk towards him, but when he's right there, he clutches at the man's arms desperately and feels them indefinitely.

All throughout the progress of becoming solid, Bishop was able to touch  _him_ , but not the other way around. Aidan hasn't been able to reach out and touch him in over six years now, and being able to feel his skin under his hand is such a lost,  _needed_  feeling that he nearly gasps. His hands start grabbing on their own for whatever they can **—** Bishop's hands, his back, his chest, his face... and he wishes he could hold it all at once.

He can't help but laugh when he holds Bishop's face, for it's been forever since he last had stubble **—** probably at least twenty years **—** and it's strange to feel the roughness under his palms again. In all honesty, he always preferred him with stubble.

Aidan waits a split second to catch a look of permission in Bishop's eyes before pulling his face forward hard and fast to kiss him, and he's  _still_ somewhat surprised that his lips meet solid ones. But he's so relieved that it's painful, and he keeps kissing him and doesn't ever want to stop **—** neither of them do; they want it to keep going forever.

They do stop at some point, though they're not sure exactly when **—** but they must be kissing at multiple intervals throughout the day because when Josh comes home hours later, he makes a point of slamming the door very loudly to get them to realize that he's home and stop.

"So is he... a vampire again?" Josh asks later, figuring that would be the case now that Bishop's solid.

"Doesn't seem so," Bishop says, sighing. Though he's not sure if that's out of relief or disappointment. "It doesn't feel like I have my old strength or hunger yet. But I'm not exactly a human, either **—** I'm just a solid ghost, it seems."

Now that anyone can see him, Bishop doesn't go outside except when he can easily cover up his face with the hood of a jacket. Can't have anyone on the police force or a vampire recognizing him. He eats normal food sometimes, out of enjoyment rather than necessity, though, and now he can sleep normally and in Aidan's bed. With Aidan being able to touch him, they don't hold back. They can't do it like they used to, with blood surrounding them and their fangs out and nothing but  _hunger_ **—** they do it better. They make love instead of tearing each other apart.

Bishop lives precisely to the second that Aidan dies, which is incidentally in the next forty years. He's staked by a Hunter and he lets it happen, and at once he and Bishop are lying on their backs in a clearing in Purgatory.

It's not nearly as lonely this time.


End file.
